Jumping Through Norway

Jumping Through Norway

Aaron really is a good sport. I’m always behind the camera, so he is inevitably my stalwart model. Most of what I take of him are candids – “no, just stay right where you are and ignore me!” “walk forward… keep walking…” – but sometimes I have him pose. And I quickly discovered he’s quite good at jumping.

In fact, one of my all-time favorite photos is of Aaron leaping into the air, providing a marvelous silhouette focus point for a photo of some phenomenal clouds at Cannon Beach. I must have asked him to jump a few dozen times that day. Who knows what the fellow beachgoers thought of the scene. But it was worth it in the end for that perfect shot (that later went to win second place in a regional travel photo competition).

And I’ve captured others jumping for a photo in the past, too. After all, action is exciting, and it makes a landmark scene all the more interesting. Besides, people make a lot of funny faces when they have more to think about than just standing and looking pretty.

I didn’t quite realize until I got home and reviewed the photos from Norway that I asked Aaron to fly for me so many times. Cool fountain in Oslo? Jump, please!

As we explored the stunning landscape, we came across many fjords, and we hiked along countless waterfalls. Here’s a wonderful viewpoint. Get your springs loaded!

Aaron always rolls his eyes when I ask him to leap, but I think he has more fun than he lets on.. and he agrees the resulting photos are awesome.

Pretty soon, the idea caught on, and others in our group began to jump as well. It isn’t an easy thing to get right the first time. It’s difficult to get just the right height, expression, bend in the knees. Aaron’s a pro at this art by now, and it even takes him several tries.

However, I couldn’t keep taking without giving some back. So Aaron turned the camera on me for a change so I could experience a carefree leap into the air (and subsequent embarrassment at the many funny misses before we got it right). Notice I still didn’t let go of the camera, and I just don’t exude the same finesse as Aaron has mastered.

Photo courtesy of Aaron Shade

The whole thing is small and silly, but it makes for memorable moments and a little added fun.

Imagine my excitement when we came across a Norwegian campground with a trampoline. Hey, Aaron! Look how high you can jump now!

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